Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a heat exchanger and to a method of manufacturing the heat exchanger.
Discussion of the Background
A heat exchanger which is used for, for example, an evaporator of a car air conditioner has been known (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (kokai) No. 2010-112695). The known heat exchanger includes a pair of header tanks disposed apart from each other and each having windward and leeward header sections, and a plurality of heat exchange tubes which are disposed between the two header tanks and whose opposite end portions are connected to the corresponding header tanks. Each of the header tanks includes a first tank constituting member to which the heat exchange tubes are connected, a second tank constituting member which is joined to the first tank constituting member and which covers one side of the first tank constituting member opposite the heat exchange tubes, and a third tank constituting member which is disposed between the first and second tank constituting members. The first tank constituting member has two header forming portions for forming heat-exchange-tube-side portions of the header section main bodies of the windward and leeward header sections, and a connection portion for connecting the two header forming portions. The second tank constituting member has two header forming portions for forming outer portions of the header section main bodies of the windward and leeward header sections, and a connection portion for connecting the two header forming portions. The third tank constituting member has partition portions for dividing the interiors of the header section main bodies of the windward and leeward header sections into upper and lower spaces, and a connection portion for connecting the two partition portions. Each of the header tanks has laminated portions which are formed at opposite edges thereof with respect to an air-passing direction as a result of overlapping of vertical wall portions of the tank constituting members formed at opposite edges thereof with respect to the air-passing direction. Each of the laminated portions is composed of a perpendicularly extending outer vertical wall portion which is provided on the first tank constituting member and is located at the outermost position, a perpendicularly extending inner vertical wall which is provided on the second tank constituting member and is located at the innermost position, and a perpendicularly extending intermediate vertical wall portion which is provided on the third tank constituting member and is located between the outer and inner vertical wall portions.
The heat exchanger disclosed in the publication is manufactured by a method in which the first through third tank constituting members are assembled together such that the perpendicularly extending outer vertical wall portion, the perpendicularly extending inner vertical wall portion, and the perpendicularly extending intermediate vertical wall portion are laminated, and the three tank constituting members are provisionally fixed together by means of crimping at the connection portions.